ICED TEA? Please give me some great tips

Having heard about shattering glass going from hot to cold (not that it ever happened to me personally), I use a 64 oz pyrex measuring cup (http://tinyurl.com/y9xq3mq) since I use the – brew the tea hot, double strength in tea leaves, same steep time, cool to room temperature in the pyrex, transfer to an ice-tea glass jug (http://tinyurl.com/ye29qq9) then refrigerate – method. So far so good!

Actually, if you have delicate hands, I think you can just fit your hand in the jugs and soap it up good! However, that’s not me so (you’re going to laugh) I clean it up really well on the outside and then on the inside, I use a long bamboo/wooden spoon (either end that fits) to swish my dishwashing sponge thingy (what are they called?) inside the jug. Very easy to clean. The jug I mentioned came in three sizes (but same size opening on all three) which is nice and it was very inexpensive.

I do sun tea a lot, but of course the key is that it has to be a nice, sunny day when you’re going to do it. :)

Simply add your tea (bagged, loose, however you prefer) and add your water to a clear glass pitcher with a lid. Stick it outside in the sun for an hour. Set a timer, because you WILL forget it. Try to do this around noon or so, when the sun is directly overhead and the temperature is the hottest it will be all day. Early afternoon also works. Unless it’s really hot out, I wouldn’t try it very early or very late in the day. I also wouldn’t try it if it’s very cloudy.

Remove tea leaves/bags, stick in fridge to chill for a couple hours, and enjoy. If you need it immediately after bringing it in, you could of course pour it over some ice cubes in a glass. :)

My family has been doing this for some time now; I remember growing up my grandma would always do this, but she would leave the pitcher outside longer than an hour, more like 3-4 hours and then bring it in and discard the tea bags, add sugar and refrigerate… it was a nice strong black tea! Yum!

I tried cold brewed iced tea for the first time last nite. I threw in some of Samovar’s Ancient Gold and some peppermint before bedtime. Then next mornning, Voila!, mint tea for work…It was quite nice….

In iced tea, I think it’s pertinent to treat it much the same as hot tea save one thing: strength.

Brew hot. I brew the tea hot, and tend to under brew since the iced tea with be sitting in the fridge for a while. (Ever noticed a change in flavor during cooling with hot tea? That change tends to be less pronounced in shorter extractions.)

More tea. Naturally, warmer temperatures pronounce most flavours, as everything is moving around faster and strikes our tongue in a different way. Try this with white wine chilled versus room temperature. Thus, I brew with about 1.5-2x the amount of tea I would for the same volume hot tea.

Don’t dilute. I do my best not to dilute; if I do I just add a few ice cubes. The same amount of a solute dissolves more easily in more solvent. So if we begin with our final volume in the brew stage, rather than diluting to final volume after brew, we’re more likely to get better extraction. Think Le Chatelier’s principle.

Sweeten. I jump at any opportunity to use honey in my beverages! Personal preference, obviously.

Patience. Brew iced tea to be imbibed hours later, so that we can use the fridge (or freezer) to chill rather than diluting. I often brew a hot tea for now at the same time I’m brewing for an iced tea.

I disagree on the strength- but couldn’t agree w/ you more on the “don’t dilute” point. It’s just not worth it for me to use 2x as much leaf just so I can use regular ice. I also don’t think patience is really vital- I can have a jug of rather cold tea done in as much time as it takes me to make one cup. For me it’s more planning ahead. I have no clue how many times the thought “Crap! I’m out of tea!” has come to mind lol.

I’m finding a new found love w/ matcha limeade. I personally don’t need as much sugar as it calls for, just 1tsp/6oz vs. 2TB. Just add 1tsp of matcha for every 6oz of limeade and shake:) I also love adding matcha (and sometimes also lime juice) to flavored water. If you use a sweetened flavored water especially, you don’t need to add any more sugar. I prefer SoBe Lifewater because it has stevia, not sugar. I use 1TB of matcha and 6TB of lime juice per bottle of SoBe. Chilled ginger and peppermint tisane also makes a great base for matcha lime and lemonade. For a fruity matcha lime/lemonade, add frozen unsweetened black berries or watermelon and blend. If you add ice or fruit, be sure to 2x the amount of matcha, lime/lemon juice, and ginger or peppermint (if you use it) Even if you use unsweetened fruit, 2x the sweetener isn’t needed.

If you put a tsp of matcha in 8oz of water and drink immediately, it will taste no different than if you put a tsp of matcha in 8oz of water and leave it there for a half hour (pending, of course, you stir or shake the 2nd cup before drinking) since the flavor comes from the particles themselves not the flavor extracting from the leaves. The only flavor difference between the two would be, as I said, a more concentrated flavor as you get to the bottom if you don’t re-stir or shake the matcha. But this not due to the “duration of extraction” as you call it- it is simply the fact that the matcha particles are more dense then the water so, if you give them time, they sink to the bottom so you consume more with each sip.

How have you showed this to be true? On this (“If you put a tsp of matcha in 8oz of water and drink immediately, it will taste no different than if you put a tsp of matcha in 8oz of water and leave it there for a half hour”) taste test?

Also, I think this is pertinent for you:
Solution:
a. the process by which a gas, liquid, or solid is dispersed homogeneously in a gas, liquid, or solid without chemical change.
b.such a substance, as dissolved sugar or salt in solution.
c.a homogeneous, molecular mixture of two or more substances.

Ever heard of Cold Steeping tea? It works great for select Black & White teas, and Yerba Maté. If you have a french press, it’s really simple…put your tea in (plenty) , stir, add cold water and put in your fridge for some hours with the plunger up. Pull it out of the fridge and pour over ice, or add your additives. Nice!

If you want cold steep right away, another way is to put the tea in cold water and “braun it” with one of those electric stir wands. Then strain and serve on ice. A bit untraditional, but interesting. But remember – anything worth having is worth waiting for.